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Ferny Creek

Ferny Creek is a township in the Dandenong Ranges between the former Ferntree Gully National Park and the Sherbrooke Forest (now amalgamated in the Dandenong Ranges National Park), and is 33 km south-east of Melbourne.

One Tree Hill, in the upper part of the former Ferntree Gully National Park, was an elevation cleared of all trees but one and used as a survey marker in the 1860s. In 1878 land was excised from the forest around One Tree Hill for selection, and thus the Ferny Creek area was settled by Europeans. In 1893 the area was the site of a Village Settlement and in 1895 a school was opened. The area was, however, known as One Tree Hill at least until 1897 when a post office was opened and named after the nearby Ferny Creek. A mechanics' institute was built in 1905, about the time when Melburnians began building weekenders in the area.

In 1914 land in the Sherbrooke Forest area was set aside for the Ferny Creek recreation reserve and for the horticultural society (1932), which continues to be active and supported by strong community interest. The reserve has a hall and recreational facilities. After World War II more modern homes were built for permanent use and for weekend residents.

Ferny Creek has a general store/post office, an avenue of honour and several bed and breakfast places. Ferny Creek primary school had 220 pupils in 2014.

Immediately east of Ferny Creek is Tremont with a considerable part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park around One Tree Hill. Tremont shares Ferny Creek's postcode, and any former residential area has been ceded to Ferny Creek’s urban boundary.

Ferny Creek's proximity to forested areas was brought into prominence on 21 January 1997, when bushfires destroyed 30 homes and caused three fatalities.

The census and estimated populations of Ferny Creek have been:

Census date

Population

1911

55

1947

384

1978

1200

estimated

2001

1464

2006

1537

2011

1535

Further Reading

Helen Coulson, Story of the Dandenongs, 1838-1958, Melbourne, 1968

John Schamble, The little school: a centenary history of Ferny Creek primary school and its community, Ferny Creek, 1995